


one place in the world

by Whitefenix



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers Infinity War, F/M, Wakanda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 09:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15410193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whitefenix/pseuds/Whitefenix
Summary: i don't remember writing this but i did so enjoy.   takes place during infinityt war, the night of the day that steve and natasha and the others arrive to wakanda, before the big fight that takes place.  buckynat talk  before the fight. because i like suffering characters.





	one place in the world

T’challa had given them a floor at the lower levels of the building, though divided in small suites spread across a long, narrow hall.

Six doors. Three on the left, off-centered in relation to the three on the right, where the doors were positioned a little closer to the elevator. They’d arrived several hours ago by now, gone from briefing into strategies, and for him, into a medical check with Shuri and the team of scientists.

He could have chosen to go back were he’d spent the last two years. The little hut in the Wakandan outskirts. But everyone was here now, Steve, doctor green monster, the witch, the robot, Romanov.

_Romanov._

She was literally there. It was late, after a long day. Out of the six doors, his and the other 4 were closed. Except hers, a little glint of little escaped through the crook left by leaving the door almost closed. His room was the one across her.

He walked to his room silently, moving his feet accordingly, making sure not to make any noise. He unlocked his door and opened it wide. It was simple: a bed, bathroom, desk, closet, big window showing off the Wakandan landscape. But something felt wrong.

He turned around out of instinct, he looked and saw nothing, until he saw a spying eye from Natasha’s room, which quickly vanished as soon as they made eye contact.

 

* * *

 

Had she just been caught spying on him?  that’s just embarrassing.

“Romanova? Do you need something?” The man asked her, knocking on her door. She put a shirt on. For the last hour she’d been lying on the bed half naked-  bottom half of her suit on, top half off, and a sport bra.  Wakanda wasn’t exactly Mediterranean weather. It was hot.

“Uh, no I’m fine, don’t worry, though you were Steve, wanted to know if he was up to review some schematics…” she lied, opening the door for the man. _I wasn’t looking at you._

“Schematics?” Barnes asked, mockingly, with a smirk on his lips.

“We don’t, no. Just- no. Actual schematics.” She laughed slightly, careful not to make any loud sound to wake others. “You’re funny. Rogers said you were.” She used Steve’s last name to put more space between them.  These were actual schematics. Not a euphemism, or an excuse for sex. “It’s Romanoff actually. I changed it when I defected. NataSHa RomanoFF” she emphasized.

“Sorry, I still get caught up when I read that kind of thing. Apparently, I spent some time in Russia. Learnt Russian, the language and the accent and that kind of thing. You defected?” he asked, diverting the attention to her.

“Yeah. I did. To SHIELD. Many years ago now.” She said, looked away, paused for a moment.

_Just spit it out Romanov,_ she told herself. But she didn’t allow her instinct to override her speech. She took the long way. What is it that they say? All trails lead to Rome?

“You spent time in Russia… working for Hydra?”

Asking him about this felt like walking over a mined piece of land. A wrong step could mean an explosion. For him mostly, she would come out unharmed. It felt wrong to do this to him, knowing that it could cause him to lose his mental grip again, but that part of her that wanted him to remember was driving her crazy. From the moment they’d stepped in the Wakandan aircraft to travel here. The feeling, the hope, desire, need, of knowing, of getting an answer was eating her from the insides.

“I... I worked- from what we’ve been able to rescue in terms of files- for a special, secret division in charge of asset training.  In terms of memory, I remember only glimpses of memories, emotions sometimes.” That last part was a lie.

“Well, at least you’re remembering, that’s a big step.”

The man looked at her. Sighed, rubbed his hands together.

“Can I ask you something?” Bucky said. “It’s kind of personal though.”

Natasha’s heart began beating faster. Automatically took a step back (damn you, subconscious) she managed to calm down in a few seconds,

“Yeah, go ahead.” She said,

“How old are you?” Bucky said, and her adrenaline was gone. She played it though, hid her face of relief.

“Oh, I’m 35-ish.” She said, smiling slightly. “never really sure when I was born.”

“oh, okay.” Barnes said, “you definitely do not look 35.”

  
“Are you hitting on me?” she joked, “or are you implying I look old?”

“uh, no, not that. Don’t. I didn’t think- I didn’t imply- you’re not old.”

“Relax, I was joking.” She said.  “Why did you ask though?”

I dreamed of a woman that looked like you.

_Fuck_

* * *

 

She knew that he would remember, and they would have to have this conversation eventually.

The woman’s face changed radically when he mentioned the dream. It went from relax to…something not relaxed.

She ruffled her own hair and told him to come in. Her voice was imperative.

He did. The room was just like his. Only built towards the other side of the building. There was a bag with her stuff in the corner and the pillows of the bed were scattered around. On top of the desk some schematics. _She really did want to show Steve the schematics_

Natasha closed the door behind him, went to the bathroom and opened the water pipe. then went back and leaned herself against the wall of her room and whispered.

“I might not be 35-ish.”

“So… you’re the girl in my dream?” he asked after she explained, even though he already knew the answer.

“Maybe.” Natasha answered. “Do you remember me?” she asked back,

“Yes. I do. I remember you” he said.

“What do you remember?” she asked, frightened. But without showing it. The worst that could happen was him not remembering their time together. And that was fine. She would move on. It would hurt to do so. But she would move on like she always did.

“I…We…” the man said, “We trained together. We…we were together too”

There, he said it. The muscles in his chest relaxed, his back too.

“We weren’t just together Barnes. We loved each-other. And we weren’t training together. You were my trainer.” She said, conscious of the stiffness in her back and the bulge growing in her throat.

“I know.”

There was a long silence. The water still running in the background. Natasha had turned it on to mess with any possible microphones hidden in the room.  He could see how Natasha sled down the wall to a fetal-like position in the floor.

“Natal- sha are you okay?”

“Yes..yes I’m okay I have a headache.” she lied, “How long have you known about our….” What to call it.

“mutual past?”

“Since the UN.  You didn’t magically appear in one of my dreams to be completely honest.”

“I promise I looked for you- after you shot me- I wanted to get you out of their hands but you were to good to get caught and they were to good at keeping you under. I’m sorry.” She said sobbing. “I’m so so so sorry. Forgive me.”

“its not your fault Natalia.” Barnes said, getting closer to her and kneeling. The woman looked surprised at being called her original name. maybe because it had been a long time since anyone had actually used it. And because his voice saying her name brought back a warm feeling to her heart.

“It’s Natasha now. Don’t slip. If you do Steve will ask, and there will be a lot more explaining to do.” She said, wiping her tears away and composing herself back up. It is my fault. I could’ve looked harder.”

“If you didn’t find me no one could have.” He said.  The woman put her hair up and wiped her nose with some tissues from the bathroom, closing the water tap on the way out.

“I can’t believe that we get to see each other again on the eve of an apocalyptic alien attack.” She said, “Maybe madame was right. I have no place in this world.”

“No, no don’t. don’t do that” he said, grabbing her cheeks with one hand, “Look at me. Don’t say that. That’s bullshit. Don’t believe anything those psychopaths told you.”

She breathed in and out a couple of times. “Thank you, James.” She said.

“James.” He repeated. Then laughed. “I underestimated how good it would be to hear your voice saying my name again.”  And after that took her into a tight hug. She resisted at first- It’s not the kind of person to person interaction she’s used to- but there was something about being inside his embrace after all these years that felt so good, so right.  She decided to hug back, taking in all his smell when she breathed in, focused in all of the spots were his body touched hers, buried her head in his chest.  Relaxed. if there was one place for her it was definitely with him. finally with him.


End file.
